Starbucks Planned at Lakeview Plaza in Brewster

By Holly Crocco

Plans to develop a Starbucks at the Lakeview Shopping Center on Route 22 in Brewster are moving along, with a public hearing scheduled July 22 before the Southeast Planning Board/Architectural Review Board.

UB Brewster, LLC, is seeking to construct a standalone Starbucks in the parking lot, to the south of Burger King.

According to Robert Aiello of JMC Planning, Engineering, Landscape Architecture & Land Surveying, PLLC, as part of the project, traffic flow throughout the entire parking lot will be improved.

During the June 24 Planning Board meeting, Aiello explained that, by modifying the parking lot and providing a large, landscaped area, the goal is to get more perpendicular traffic so drivers can better see oncoming traffic.

A drone was used to complete a detailed parking analysis, in which the lot was recorded every 30 minutes weekdays and weekends to see how many spaces were filled, and when.

“It showed that we can anticipate that basically, we will have only 50 percent of the overall parking utilized, even when the new Starbucks is constructed,” said Aiello. “There is a lot of surplus parking.”

Pedestrian connectivity is also part of the plan, as the senior center across from the plaza asked the developer to study the feasibility of placing a crosswalk across Route 22, so people can walk to the shopping center.

According to Chris Raffaelli of Studio Architecture, DPC, the Starbucks will have a patio area with outdoor covered seating, and a drive-thru window.

“It’s a very typical Starbucks,” he said. “Most of the building is brick.”

Planning Board Chairman Tom LaPerch said he’s encouraged by the studies, renderings and reports so far.

“Great job with the plan,” he said. “I never heard of drone studies before. I appreciate it, because that is a mess over there.”

Board member Lynne Eckardt expressed her pleasure with the landscaping plans. “I want to thank you because I think the landscape is really nice sizing and it’s appreciated,” she said.

Vice Chairman Dave Rush said he would like to see the center more pedestrian friendly, with walkways extending from a crosswalk over Route 22, through the parking lot.

“It would be great if we could get people to walk on the sidewalks to that shopping center, but it’s also a disaster, if you ask me,” he said. “Create a nice pedestrian way for someone to leave ACME (and get to Starbucks) without having to go through the parking lot.”